The Island

Front Cover
Allen & Unwin, 2007 - Juvenile Fiction - 32 pages

Poignant and chilling, this allegory is an astonishing, powerful, and timely story about refugees, xenophobia, racism, multiculturalism, social politics, and human rights. When the people of an island find a man sitting on their shore, they immediately reject him because he is different. Fearful to the point of delusional paranoia, the islanders lock him in a goat pen, refuse him work, and feed him scraps they would normally feed a pig. As their fears progress into hatred, they force him into the sea. The charcoal illustrations complement the sparse and beautifully understated narrative.

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About the author (2007)

Armin Greder was born in Switzerland. In 1971 he migrated to Australia where he worked as a graphic designer and later taught design and illustration at a tertiary art institution. Picture books illustrated by him include The Great Bear, An Ordinary Day and I Am Thomas as well as The Island and The City, of which he is also the author. His work, in which charcoal is prominent, reflects his European background. He is the recipient of a number of international recognitions such as the Bologna Ragazzi Award and he has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Prize.

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